Schoolmate: A partnership approach to evaluating out of schools services

Clíona Murphy

Children’s Research Centre, TCD

Outline

Introducing Schoolmate Who are the partners? Evaluating Schoolmate Developing the tools Piloting the tools What next? A partnership approach - some guiding

principles

Introducing Schoolmate

Flagship project of AIB’s Better Ireland Programme

Broad aim is to touch and significantly improve the lives of Irish children most at risk of missing school through hunger or lack of nutrition, being homeless, and/or the effects of drug/alcohol abuse

Interventions take many forms including breakfast clubs, afterschools groups and toy libraries

Delivered by three charities (ISPCC, Focus Ireland and Barnardos) at 17 sites

The Partners

AIB as corporate donor The service providers The service users The evaluation team

Evaluating Schoolmate

The first three years 2002-2004– Programme Development Phase (2002)– Implementation Phase (2003)– Mature Operation Phase (2004)– Formative and summative evaluation using mainly

qualitative methods and census Phase IV (2005-2007)

– Overall aim of this phase is to design and implement a set of tools for measuring the outcomes of Schoolmate interventions

Developing the Tools

A uniform set of measures that can be used at all sites and for all interventions

Capture process outcomes as well as stated outcomes for child

Complement existing recording and assessment systems

Identification of process outcomes informed by – Views of service users, service providers, and

teachers from the previous phases– Best practice guidelines

Piloting the Tools

Separate questionnaires for young people aged 11+, teachers, parents and staff were developed

Met with senior mangers in each charity Training of service providers Questionnaires administered at 10 sites Focus groups and individual interviews conducted

to review effectiveness and usefulness of tools Information used to review tools before their

rollout for use with all Schoolmate participants

What Next?

Baseline data being returned - follow up data to be collected in May

Interpreting/giving meaning to the data gathered

Strengthening the script as a way of maintaining the integrity of the tools in a climate of staff turnover

A process which is still underway

A partnership approach

Some Guiding Principles– Harnessing different kinds of knowledge– Being comfortable with taking a position of

‘not knowing’– Holistic view of children and organisations– Sharing of skills, ideas and experiences– Flexibility– Listening